When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt’s fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved and internationally bestselling Harry Potter books. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters, this is epic, adventure-packed storytelling at its very best.

Whether an existing fan or new to the wizarding world, this is a perfect addition to any reader’s bookshelf

My Review

As soon as this book was released I immediately went out to pick up a copy. I must admit I was a little disappointed that it was written in the screenplay format again (as someone that grew up enjoying waiting for the next big fat novel to be released brimming full of detail), I do find that the screenplay doesn’t allow for a lot of detail to be added in. None the less I did enjoy this story more so then the Cursed Child (also written as a screenplay). This book read better then the cursed child and flowed a bit more fluidly.

The story goes back in time to before the original Harry Potter series and stars wizard Newt Scamander. We meet him in 1926 where he arrives in NewYork with a suitcase full of magical creatures from the wizarding world. This whole new time era opens the world to adults even more so then Harry Potter did. The characters are of course older and more sassy in a sense I would say. We have Tina who is determined to find out what Newt is up to when she spots him in the bank. Queenie her sister is described as a typical 1920’s glamourous flapper. Newt himself is a quirky character trying to make his way in New York. They deal with issues that adults deal with. An example would be where Newt meets New Yorker Jacob who is visiting the local bank in order to secure a loan to set up a bakery, only he is downcast and rejected by them. So begins his adventure with Newt. The era for the story compliments the characters well. People are full of hope and life after the First World War. There is a sense of hope and adventure to be had which I think is portrayed well in Newts character. He has journeyed far from his home in order to seek out magical creatures and pursue the writing of his book. Queenie was one of my favourite characters as she seems so full of life and looks for the thrill in everything.

The pace of this book is of course a lot faster then the first Harry Potter novels. Some readers may enjoy this more as it certainly doesn’t leave you time to become bored. Its a nice quick fast read. I completed it in two sittings.

I’m not going to go into any spoilers here as if I did it would basically give away the whole plot and story. If you have read the book I would suggest also watching the film. I didn’t enjoy the film as much as I was hoping I would. To be honest I felt a bit let down by it. This might be partly my fault as I had built up a world in my own head. There is talk that Fantastic Beasts is one in a series of five so I’m hoping there will be books to go along with the up and coming films.

Overall I did enjoy the read but I will always love the old style big novels full of description and detail. The book itself is illustrated beautifully on the front cover and throughout the book. I’m going to give Fantastic Beasts 4 out of 5 bookworms.

As always I would love to hear your views on the book and the film. Which one did you prefer? Who is your favourite character? Please leave a comment down below letting me know. Thank you for dropping in to my little blog and taking a read.

I’m back with another review, this time its the long anticipated eighth Harry Potter book. As soon as this was released on 31st July, I made sure I rushed out that morning and picked up my copy. I started reading it straight away and finished it within three days. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. My review does contain some spoliers later on but I will indicate further down when these are coming up. As always I love hearing from you all, o please leave me a comment on what you thought of the book. Happy Reading x

Summary

This is the special rehearsal edition.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

My Thoughts

As an avid Harry Potter fan since the age of eleven, I was so excited to hear that an eighth book was going to be released. I loved reading the other seven books and couldn’t wait to get stuck into the latest edition. As with the other books, there was of course a huge build up and hype about the forthcoming release. There were Harry Potter parties at the book launches, midnight release times and various Harry Potter related book tags across YouTube and the blogging world. Old fans wanted to delve back into the magical world and rejoin their faithful friends now that they were older. We all wanted to experience the magic of Harry Potter once again and this book certainly did not disappoint. I’ve read on some blogs that people didn’t enjoy the book, but I for one can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this new adventure.

The main difference with this novel was the format. Unlike the other seven Harry Potter books, this one was written in the form of a stage play. The read is much faster then the other books which does mean that the action happens quicker and there is less time for a build up to the point of action. Some readers may not like this as with the other books, there was plenty of detail and build up to be had. I found that once I got used t the style, it didn’t bother me at all or affect my read of the book.

If you have not yet read the book then I would stop reading here as there will be some spoilers in the next few paragraphs. If however you have finished reading the book then please continue reading and enjoy.

The eighth book is set nineteen years from where we left off at the end of the seventh. Harry now works for the ministry of magic and is also a father of three married to Ginny Weasley. The story focuses on their third son Albus who is sorted into Slytherin house and befriends Draco Malfoys son Scorpius. Struggling to live with the fame of his dad Harry, Albus starts to rebel a bit. Together with Scorpius they decide to travel back in time to save the life of Cedric Diggory at the Tri Wizard Tournament. The idea is planted into their heads by Amos Diggorys (Cedric’s dad) niece Delphi. She agrees to help them obtain the time turner which has been confiscated by the Ministry of Magic, This doesn’t go according to plan as it is later revealed that Delphi is in fact Vodlemorts daughter who wants to change time in order to make her father the most powerful wizard in the world. Fortunately for Albus and Scorpius everything works out in the end and the magical world is restored to normality.

My favourite character had to be Scorpius. Even though he is a Malfoy, I found him to be a really sweet and gentle character. Suffering with his own turmoil, he still puts Albus first and helps him try to save Cedric. Scorpius is tormented most days by pupils at Hogwarts who say he is the son of Voldemort. Scared that this may be made worse if people found out they were travelling back in time, Scorpius is still brave enough to go along with the plan and help Albus as best he can. In one scene Scorpius is sent to a time where everyone likes him ad he is known as the Scorpion King. Given the chance to keep this alternative time where he is liked, he decides against it and puts the future of others before his own happiness. This scene really shows that he isn’t like all the other Malfoys we know so well.

Even though Albus wasn’t my favourite character, I still warmed to him. Being a son of Harry Potter is a hard enough task but when your sorted in Slytherin, it makes life at school that little it harder. Albus comes across as quite a gloomy personality. His relationship with his father breaks down through the first half of the book. This makes him more determined to right the wrongs he thinks Harry committed i.e. letting Cedric die. Readers are left constantly wondering if father and so can unite and become a family again.

The host of other characters in the story all bring their own bit to book. Hermionie and Ron still portray the same characteristics we know and love about them. Hermionie is now Minster of Magic, she’s strong willed and shows a real determination to be the best minister she possibly can. Ron now runs the joke shop his brothers had set out to originally. He is one character that injects some fun and laughter into the tale. He and Hermionie are married with two children, Hugh and Rose. Rose is the same age as Albus and acts very similar to how her mother did when she was at Hogwarts. Harry has similar traits to what he had when he was younger. He suffers nightmares along with his scar hurting. This convinces him that there is dark magic at work. He sets out to save Albus and prove that he deeply loves his son. Some readers may find it hard to accept that Harry, Ron and Hermionie are no longer teenagers themselves, but for me I soon got into it and treated them like the adults they were in this novel.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves the previous seven books. I would say that if you haven’t read any Harry Potter before then it would be a good idea to read them first in order to learn about the characters and how we get to the point we are in the eighth book. Its made me want to go and see the live stage play. I’m therefore giving Harry Potter five bookworms out of five.

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Hello and welcome to my blog The Bookish Bookworm.
I'm Sarah, a 28 year old bookaholic who loves nothing more then finding a quiet corner, settling down with a cup of tea and opening those first few pages of a new adventure.
If you love books then please come join me :)

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